A Satellite Tour Of Former US Auto Plants That Are Leading Second Lives

The closing of a car manufacturing plant can be devastating for a community. It means jobs will be lost, along with the host town's sense of identity.

But at many abandoned sites around the county, things are turning around.

A new report from the Center for Automotive Research found that hundreds of closed auto factories have been repurposed for a variety of causes, from new industries to public spaces and even for new types of automotive manufacturing.

Forty nine percent of the 263 automotive plants that have closed across the country over the past three decades have been given new life.

BALTIMORE, MD, FORMER GM ASSEMBLY PLANT: After the plant closed in 2005, Duke Realty decided to turn this 185-acre plot into the Chesapeake Commerce Center. The new businesses on site include MTC Logistics, a refrigerated and frozen food warehousing and distribution company, and the Port of Baltimore.

BATAVIA, OH, FORMER FORD TRANSMISSION PLANT: The University of Cincinnati Clermont capitalized on the closed Ford plant, using the space to expand its Allied Health program and provide higher learning opportunities for the community. Alongside UC Clermont East, there is also a mobile facilities producer and an aluminum scrap company.

COOPERSVILLE, MI, FORMER DELPHI FUEL INJECTOR PLANT: After closing in 2006, the site was bought by Continental Dairy. Conveniently located near CD's raw milk supply, the plant now makes powdered milk and by 2012 will be at full capacity for milk production.

KENOSHA, WI, FORMER CHRYSLER ASSEMBLY PLANT: This plant on the shore of Lake Michigan closed in 1988, and is now a residential, commercial and park area. There's also a boardwalk, two museums and an electric streetcar. Though the park hasn't spurred greater revitalization, it's still an oft-visited public space.

PONTIAC, MI, FORMER GM CENTERPOINT TRUCK PLANT: Pontiac, Michigan is now home to the state's first "full-service, built-for-production" movie studio. The studio has been less successful than the new owners had hoped, thanks to small film tax incentives in the state.

SOUTH GATE, CA, FORMER GM ASSEMBLY PLANT: The southern portion of the plot is now the South Gate Industrial and Business Park, while another 33 acres were given to create a middle school and two high schools, complete with a track and football field.

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FLINT, MI, FORMER GM FISHER BODY 1 PLANT: Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy moved onto the site this year. Diplomat specializes in drugs for cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS. Diplomat, in return for hiring 4,000 people over the next two decades, won't pay property taxes for 15 years and got a $62 million dollar tax break.

WILMINGTON, DE, FORMER GM PLANT: In a fitting turnaround, Anaheim-based Fisker Automotive bought the site from GM in 2010 and is now producing hybrid cars. While the number of jobs at the plant currently numbers in the low hundreds, Fisker has over $500 million in private equity funding and a $529 million federal Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program loan to work with.

But some factories have yet to transition successfully, like in SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY, THE FORMER GM ASSEMBLY PLANT where legal battles between GM and the town have killed any transformative progress. This year, a new redevelopment deal has been proposed, with plans for thousands of new residential units, 135,000 square feet of retail space, 35,000 square feet of office space and a new hotel.

Another high-profile failure can be seen in DORAVILLE, GA, THE FORMER GM ASSEMBLY PLANT, where despite being seen as a desirable development opportunity since 2008, a plant now stands vacant. Local politics, a lack of regional involvement, and GM's high asking price ($60 million) have stood in the way of transitioning the site to a mixed-use space for innovation and/or transit, which the community is seeking.